


Let's Begin

by shewritesall



Series: No More Lonely [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Hurt Peter Parker, Kidnapped Peter, Kidnapping, Mentions of alcohol, Parent Pepper Potts, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, slight physical abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-16 14:58:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 14,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16088459
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewritesall/pseuds/shewritesall
Summary: It's been eight years since Peter was adopted by Tony and Pepper and a lot has changed. First of all, Pepper has officially become a Stark (but she still goes by Potts much to Tony's chagrin). Second, Peter is starting his first year of middle school with his best friends Ned and MJ. Third, James Richie may not have been working alone and his partner may not have forgotten what happened when Peter was four (they definitely didn't).Sequel to "No More Lonely"





	1. Chapter 1

"Mom!"  Peter yelled, running into the living room, Ned and MJ following close behind.  Pepper looked up from her Stark tablet to see her curly haired son with his two friends come to a sudden stop at the end of the couch.  Ned stumbled into Peter who tripped over the couch and fell on top of it, making Pepper bounce just a bit.

"Yes, Peter?"  Pepper asked.  Peter righted himself then glanced back at his friends.

"Can Ned and MJ stay the night?"  he asked.  He rushed to continue, saying, "We already asked their parents and they said it was fine since school starts in two days and we can't have sleepovers during the week once school starts.  Pretty please can they stay?"

"Of course,"  Pepper smiled.  Peter cheered and high-fived his friends.  "We can take you home afterwards too, if that makes it easier on your parents,"  she told Ned and MJ.  MJ shrugged. 

"Mine won't care,"  she said.  Pepper knew MJ's parents weren't exactly the most caring, but she wasn't going to let the young girl fend for herself.  "I can just take a cab.  Send Ned with me and I'll make sure he doesn't get robbed." 

"No one is taking a cab home,"  someone said from behind them.  The three kids spun around to see Tony walking up from his lab, limping slightly.  His lip was busted and he had a couple bruises from his latest mission, nothing Peter hadn't seen before, but it still made him sick to see his dad so beat up. 

"Tony!"  Pepper cried, getting up from the couch and hurrying into the kitchen for ice.  Tony grinned at his son and two friends, hiding a wince when his lip protested. 

"What happened to you?"  MJ asked, watching as Tony sat on the couch.  Pepper handed him an ice pack and he promptly place it on his knees.  He managed to steal a kiss from her and received a glare in response. 

"Bad guys had a bomb,"  Tony said casually.  Pepper sat beside him while the three 12 year olds sat on the couch she had previously been on.  "It was a poorly made one, but I went for a short, unexpected flight." 

"You should have called for backup,"  Pepper scolded.  Tony shrugged and Pepper sighed.  

"Now, who am I driving where tomorrow?"  Tony asked.  Peter stuck two thumbs up, one at each of his friends who sat on opposite sides of him.  "I figured that much.  What I meant was where am I taking them?" 

"Oh, home,"  Peter answered.  Tony nodded.  "Mom said they could stay the night since school starts on Monday and we can't have weekday sleepovers." 

"Well, that means we have to have an impromptu Nerd Night, doesn't it?"  Tony grinned.  Peter rolled his eyes, having long since given up on trying to convince his dad to call it Night of Fantastic Adventures and Movies instead of Nerd Night. 

"No, it does not,"  Pepper said.  She received three disappointed looks and one annoyed one.  "Don't give me that.  Ned and MJ can stay over, but no Nerd Night."

* * *

They had Nerd Night on Bruce's floor.  After Pepper had fallen asleep (JARVIS had confirmed she was entering the second stage of sleep), Tony snuck out of the bedroom and down the hall to Peter's room.  They three kids were laying down, absolutely still when he opened the door.  After realising it was just Tony, they leapt up and followed him down the hall and to the elevator.  JARVIS promised to cover for them if Pepper woke up so they didn't worry about leaving the penthouse empty. 

Bruce was waiting for them when they arrived on his floor.  It was 1:38AM when they stepped off the elevator, but thanks to coffee (Bruce), insomnia (Tony), and energy (Peter, MJ, and Ned), they were all wide awake and ready for Nerd Night.  Tony did manage to steal some of Bruce's leftover coffee before following the three kids into Bruce's living room where Netflix was waiting along with D&D, Risk: Star Wars Edition, and Clue: Harry Potter Edition. 

"D&D!"  Peter declared.  MJ frowned, saying she wanted to play Risk.  "We played it last time and you won; like always." 

"That's because it's a good game and you suck at it,"  MJ replied, grabbing the game.  Peter shook his head and sat on the game to prevent her from setting it up.  "Get your ass away, Stark,"  she said.  Tony looked up from his coffee and Bruce. 

"Where am I getting my ass away from?"  he asked.  MJ rolled her eyes. 

"Not you,"  she answered.  She shoved Peter off the game and he hit the floor.  "Your son." 

"Oh,"  Tony said, nodding.  "Don't say bad words."  MJ gave him an annoyed look. 

"What?  Ass?"  she asked.  Tony nodded, telling her it was a bad word and she shouldn't say it.  Hands on her hips and eyes locked on Tony's, she said, "Ass, ass, ass."  Tony sighed and looked at Bruce who shrugged, taking another sip of coffee. 

"Even I saw that coming,"  he told his friend.  Tony gave him a blank look and watched as he walked into the living room, declaring he wanted to play Clue and if they wanted to argue, he'd tell Pepper they were down here.  Peter and MJ groaned, but let Bruce open up Clue.  Tony joined them a few seconds later, setting his empty coffee cup on the counter. 

"You good, Ned?"  he asked, sitting between Ned and Peter.  Ned snapped awake and nodded quickly.  He sat forward and stared at the floor. 

"I'm good,"  he promised.  Tony nodded, not convinced in the least, but handing Ned a game piece anyway.  He had no doubt the boy would pass out in the next two hours.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Peter woke up in Bruce's floor of Stark Tower, blankets surrounding him from every side and Ned's snoring to his left.  He reached for a pillow to cover his ears with and was rewarded with a whack to the head. He yelped, rubbing his head and looked around the the armed pillow.  MJ was glaring sleepily at him, hugging the pillow tightly.  She turned her head so she wasn't looking at him and Peter rolled his eyes.  So much for getting an extra pillow. 

"Good morning, Peter,"  Bruce said, walking into the living room.  Peter sat up, figuring he might as well get up if Uncle Bruce was up. 

"G'morning, Uncle Bruce,"  he mumbled.  He stood up, struggling to escape the blanket heap without tripping on either of his friends or his dad then followed Bruce into the kitchen. 

"Would you like tea?"  Bruce asked.  Peter shrugged and nodded.  Tea sounded nice.  "How did you sleep?"  Bruce asked, pouring Peter a cup of tea then handing him the mug. 

"Good,"  Peter said softly.  Bruce nodded and smiled, taking a sip of his own tea as Peter tried his.  He scrunched of his face and looked down at it.  "What kind is this?"  he asked Bruce, trying to mask his disgust.  Bruce just chuckled. 

"It's hibiscus rose,"  he answered.  Peter's mouth twisted and he passed his mug back to Bruce.  "Yeah, I don't really like it either but I have to get rid of it or Steve will be upset." 

"Steve should be upset he sucks at picking out tea flavours,"  Peter mumbled.  Bruce grinned and poured Peter's tea down the sink.  At least he had an excuse to dump that cup out. 

"Yes, he should,"  Bruce agreed.  Peter made himself some hot cocoa and the two sat at the kitchen counter, silently sipping their drinks.  "How long do you think we have before your mom finds out you all aren't up there?"  Peter glanced at the stove clock to check the time.  8:07am. 

"Um, 8 minutes for us,"  Peter said, knowing his mom would want to check on their before leaving for work.  "I'd say she's already looking for Dad."  As if on cue, the elevator doors began to open.  Peter gave Bruce a terrified look and they both darted into the living room. 

"Tony?"  Pepper called.  Bruce shook Tony awake while Peter woke up Ned and MJ.  Ned yelped as he woke up and Peter covered his mouth. 

"Mom's here,"  he hissed.  Ned and MJ's eyes widened.  They jumped off the floor and crawled over to the couch to hide.  Bruce was struggling to clean up their mess (shoving it under the couches), Tony was quietly hitting himself to wake up more, and Pepper was walking into the living room. 

"Bruce?  Tony?"  Pepper called.  Peter motioned for his friends to follow him and they ninja crawled towards the elevator.  Pepper walked into the living room, back to the elevator, and Peter quietly pressed the elevator button. 

"Hey, Pep!"  Tony said, cheerfully.  The elevator doors slid open and Pepper began to turn and look, but Tony kissed her.  Peter, Ned, and MJ raced into the elevator and closed the doors, taking it up to the penthouse while Tony and Bruce came up with a lie to tell Pepper. 

"My room!"  Peter yelled, tugging Ned in the correct direction.  They ran down the hall to Peter's room and slammed the door shut.  They all dove into their beds and tried to calm their breathing before Pepper came in to check on them. 

"I think I hear her,"  Ned whispered, still panting.  Peter listened closely, but couldn't hear anything. 

"You're hallucinating,"  he whispered back.  A few minutes after all their breathing had evened out, the door to Peter's bedroom opened.  Peter closed his eyes and tried hard not to hold his breath.  It felt like forever before his bedroom door closed again and he squinted to make sure his mom hadn't tried to fool him.  She wasn't in the room, though, so he opened his eyes and sat up. 

"That was close,"  Ned whispered.  Peter nodded.  "Now what do we do?" 

"Wait for my dad to come get us and give us the all clear,"  Peter instructed.


	3. Chapter 3

The first day of school had just started and Peter already hated his new school.  He'd forgotten that teachers always seemed to pause when reading his name on their attendance list.  All the teachers at his old school had gotten used to the last name 'Stark' being on the list and no longer looked twice.  New school meant new teachers, however, and that meant having to endure a month of teachers treating him special and dancing around the fact his dad was Tony Stark. 

"Peter Stark?"  his homeroom teacher, Mr. Patrick, called out.  Peter shyly raised his hand, trying to ignore the stares from kids that hadn't gone to school with him before.  Mr. Patrick looked around the room and when his eyes landed on Peter's hand, he stopped.  "You're Peter Stark?"  he asked.  Peter nodded, wishing he didn't blush so easily.  "You've sure grown, haven't you?"  Mr. Patrick said nonchalantly.  Peter frowned. 

"What?"  Peter replied.  Mr. Patrick marked his clipboard then smiled at Peter. 

"Nothing, Peter,"  Mr. Patrick said.  He glanced at his roll call then back up at his students, calling out, "Oliver Stern?" 

"Here,"  Oliver replied.  Peter kept his eyes on his new homeroom teacher for a few more seconds before going back to his doodling.  That was weird. 

* * *

Peter found Dum-E in his dad's lab, beeping happily and holding what appeared to be a smoothie.  Peter grinned and took the smoothie, patting Dum-E affectionately then looking around for his dad.  He didn't seem to be anywhere in sight. 

"FRIDAY?"  Peter asked, setting the smoothie from Dum-E on his dad's desk.  "Where's Dad?" 

"Boss is in a board meeting at the moment,"  FRIDAY replied.  Peter frowned slightly. 

"Oh,"  he said to himself.  Dum-E rubbed against Peter's leg, claw going towards the smoothie then back to Peter.  "Is this safe to drink?"  Peter asked, picking up the smoothie and smelling it hesitantly.  It smelled fine, but he couldn't be sure. 

"Yes,"  FRIDAY replied.  "Mrs. Stark brought it down five minutes before you arrived."  In that case, Peter figured he'd drink it.  He thanked both FRIDAY and Dum-E before taking a sip.  He sat on the couch, drinking the smoothie and playing on his phone.  After coming across a Buzzfeed quiz to discover which Avenger you were, Peter decided to try it.  It was only 15 questions long and at the end, he got the message 'You are Iron Man!' from the page.  He grinned widely, sending the results to the group chat he had with his mom and dad. 

**Peter-bug:**   _Look, Dad!  I'm you!!  I got Iron Man!!!  I could be Iron Man 2.0!!!!  Can I??_

He saved the results to his photo library then hopped off the couch.  He glanced down at Dum-E who followed him into the attached lab that was Peter's.  U joined them, beeping menacingly at Dum-E and ramming into his brother.  Peter scolded him, but U didn't seem that sorry. 

"Let's get to work, boys!"  Peter exclaimed, logging into his desk.  He pulled up the files his dad had shared with him on the Iron Man suit.  Of course, FRIDAY had strict instructions to monitor Peter closely whenever he looked at those files.  As much as Tony trusted his son, he didn't want him accidentally creating a weapon from the suit and blowing himself up when Tony wasn't there to stop him.  As if he knew his son had opened the Iron Man files, Tony responded to Peter's text.  Peter lunged for his phone and opened up the message. 

**IronDad:**   _Sorry, Iron Man's already been taken.  Besides, Mom would kill me if I let you._

Peter grinned and was going to reply, but Pepper's text message stopped him as soon as it appeared. 

**Momma:** _I'll kill you if you don't put your phone away.  Talk later; board meeting now._

Peter slid his phone to the edge of his desk and pulled up the holographic diagram for his dad's suit.  Maybe he wasn't allowed to be Iron Man, but he could at least create his own suit save for the weaponry.  Or maybe he could create his own update for his dad's suit.  That was sure to convince his parents he could be Iron Man 2.0.  If not, well, he could become his own superhero.  His dad wasn't the only Stark that wanted to be a hero.


	4. Chapter 4

The entire first week of school, Peter had to deal with people trying to be his friend because of who he was.  Peter could always tell if someone was trying to be his friend for real or not just by the first few things they asked him.  Fake friends always said something along the lines of "So, Tony Stark is your dad?  That's pretty neat!".  It was closely followed by something like "Do you think your dad would let me try out the armour?" or "I'm free Friday.  Can I come over?".  Peter had gotten pretty good at deciphering who was just there for his dad. 

"So Peter, I was thinking you could come over this weekend and we could build my new Lego set,"  Ned said, taking a bite of his sandwich.  Peter swallowed his own food and gave Ned an apologetic smile. 

"I can't,"  he replied.  Ned frowned.  "Dad has a press conference in Italy tomorrow and then the Italian Grand Prix is on Sunday.  I won't be back to school until Tuesday."  Ned huffed and Peter rolled his eyes.  He and Ned had been friends since Peter started school in Pre-K, so he was no longer wowed by Peter's international adventures. 

"You could just stay with me for the weekend,"  Ned suggested.  Peter said he wished he could, but his mom was making him go for a family bonding experience and because she thought he needed to freshen up on his Italian.  "My mom doesn't even care if I can't speak English.  In fact, I think she'd prefer if I didn't speak at all."  Peter laughed. 

"Yeah, well Dad thought it'd be important to know my "origin language", so here I am,"  Peter said.  Ned shrugged. 

"Buy me something cool,"  he demanded. 

"Okay,"  Peter agreed.  Maybe he could get Ned one of those crappy souvenirs they sell all over during the Grand Prix. 

"Mr. Stark, a word?"  Mr. Patrick asked, tapping on Peter's shoulder.  Peter frowned and looked up at his homeroom teacher.  "It will only take a moment." 

"Um, sure?"  Peter said.  He stood up and followed Mr. Patrick out of the cafeteria.  Mr. Patrick continued down the hall, but Peter just watched in confusion.  Maybe Mr. Patrick forgot he was there?  "Uh, Mr. Patrick, you wanted to talk?"  Peter asked.  Mr. Patrick turned back to face Peter and nodded. 

"Yes, just follow me, Peter,"  he said. 

"Can it wait until after school?  I kind of want to finish my lunch,"  Peter trailed of awkwardly.  Mr. Patrick seemed irritated but nodded.  Peter quietly thanked him then returned to the lunch room and sat beside Ned. 

"What'd Mr. Patrick want?"  Ned asked, mouth full of cookie.  Peter shrugged, picking up his sandwich. 

"Not sure,"  he replied.  Ned asked what he meant by that so Peter clarified, "He wanted me to follow him back to homeroom I guess, but I wanted to finish my lunch so he's gonna wait until after school." 

"Weird,"  Ned said quietly.  Peter agreed.  At least his sandwich hadn't been eaten in his short absence. 

* * *

Peter had completely forgotten about Mr. Patrick wanting to talk to him after school.  He had to leave his last period five minutes early when Happy came to pick him up so his family could leave for Italy.  It wasn't until he was getting out of the car and stepping onto the tarmac at the airport that he remembered.  He groaned, but dismissed it when Happy asked what was wrong.  Mr. Patrick could probably wait until Tuesday to talk to him.  At this point, he'd have to. 

"Toot toot!"  Tony exclaimed, pretending to tug on a horn when Peter entered to plane carrying his backpack.  "All aboard the Stark Jet!  Next stop, Milan, Italy." 

"Hey, Dad,"  Peter greeted, setting his backpack down and sitting in a seat by the window in front of his dad. 

"How was school?"  Pepper asked, walking out of the cockpit.  Peter shrugged but Pepper wasn't too concerned.  The first week at a new school was always annoying for Peter, so she had expected the answer. 

"Well, no school in Italy,"  Tony grinned, pulling Pepper down into the seat beside him.  "Only race cars and fun!" 

"You have a press conference, boss,"  Happy reminded, taking a seat across the jet from the small family.  Tony frowned. 

"Who invited Mr. Spoils the Fun?"  Tony muttered.  Happy rolled his eyes and pulled out a book for the seven hour flight. 

"I'm just here to make sure you don't try and race again,"  Happy said. 

"That was one time and I was dying,"  Tony defended.  Peter rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.  While Happy and Tony argued, he started reading a book he had bought and downloaded particularly for this flight.  When asked if he was reading _The Ultimate Italian Review and Practice_  book Pepper had purchase for him, he nodded and replied (in Italian) that he was.  Both Tony and Pepper knew he wasn't, but it wouldn't be their fault if he accidentally misspoke and embarrassed himself.


	5. Chapter 5

Peter always loved going abroad with his parents and this time was no exception.  He'd only ever been to Italy once before and that was to Venice over spring break his 3rd grade year.  Now he was in Milan, headed to the Italian Grand Prix with his parents and their bodyguard.  Even though the reporters and nosy cameramen were a little intimidating, Peter still enjoyed the trips.  The last time a reporter had gotten aggressive with Peter, Tony had handled it in his Iron Man suit and no one had dared get too pushy around the young Stark. 

"Peter?  What are you hungry for?"  Pepper asked.  They had arrived in Milan about ten minutes earlier and Peter was struggling to stay in the car while they drove to whatever expensive his dad had booked for them.  It was barely 4:00am local time and even though Peter had slept on the plane, he was tired. 

"Sleep,"  Peter mumbled, curling against Pepper more.  Pepper rubbed his arm soothingly and turned to look at Tony. 

"How much longer until we're at the hotel?"  she asked.  Tony checked his watch. 

"Shouldn't be more than ten minutes away,"  he answered.  He glanced down at Peter whose arms were wrapped around Pepper's waist, face buried in her abdomen as he curled in the seat.  "Looks like the kid is asleep,"  Tony stated, running a hand through Peter's curls.  Peter weakly swatted his hand away and Tony smiled softly. 

"'m wake," Peter mumbled before promptly going back to his soft snores. 

"What's on the agenda?"  Tony asked Pepper quietly.  She combed her fingers through Peter's hair as she relayed Tony's schedule for the day.  Conference at 9:00am followed by a meet-up with a local partner at noon.  After that, he was free to join up with Pepper and Peter and had no more appointments until the Grand Prix on Sunday. 

"We're here, boss,"  Happy said quietly.  He stopped the car outside and hotel and opened the door for Tony to get out.  Tony crawled out and followed Happy around the car to pick up Peter. 

"Come on, kiddo,"  Tony said, lifting Peter up into his arms.  Peter protested slightly, but gave up quickly and fell back asleep.  Pepper crawled out after him and the two walked inside to check in while Happy brought all their bags. 

"Hi, we'd like to check into our rooms,"  Pepper said, walking up to the receptionist.  The process was quick and soon they were all standing in an elevator and going up to the top floor.  Peter's room was connected to Tony and Pepper's through a door and Happy's was across the hall.  Tony dropped Peter off in his room first thing, laying him on the bed gently. 

"Dad?"  Peter asked.  Tony nodded. 

"Go back to sleep, Peter,"  he answered.  "Mom and I are right through the door.  Want us to leave it open?"  Peter nodded.  Tony kissed his forehead then stood up.  "See you in a few hours." 

"Mkay,"  Peter hummed.  He rolled onto his side while Tony walked through the connected door into his and Pepper's room.  He propped the door open with a shoe and flopped down on the king bed he and Pepper were sharing. 

"Wake me up when it's time for the conference,"  Tony said.  Pepper laid down beside him and turned off the lamp. 

"Try again,"  Pepper replied. 

"An hour before?"  Tony asked.  Pepper sighed and snuggled closer to her husband. 

"We'll see,"  she answered. 

* * *

When Peter woke up, it was 9:17am local time and he was starving.  He rolled out of bed, stumbling into the nightstand and rubbing his eyes.  He blinked, looking around his room, then spotted a propped open door.  He walked through it and spotted his mom sitting on a couch with her laptop.  The door to his room slammed shut behind him, making him jump and causing her to look up.  When she saw Peter, she smiled. 

"Did you sleep well?"  she asked.  Peter nodded and rubbed his eyes again.  "Good.  Get dressed and we'll go to breakfast." 

"Where's Dad?"  Peter asked, walking back into his room.  He propped the door open and walked over to his duffel bag. 

"At his conference,"  Pepper answered.  Peter changed quickly then returned to his parents' room.  Pepper grabbed her purse and room key card, turning to Peter to make sure he was ready to go.  "What sounds good?"  she asked, leading him out of the room. 

"A bagel,"  Peter replied.  "A toasted Asiago bagel with butter."  Pepper smiled at her son as they entered the elevator.  "And a chocolate muffin." 

"Sounds like you know exactly what you want,"  Pepper teased.  Peter nodded, not awake enough to be embarrassed by the teasing.  "Happy is with Dad at his conference, so we can either walk or take the Metro." 

"Walk,"  Peter replied.  Pepper nodded and they fell silent as another guest joined them in the elevator and rode to the ground floor.  Once they stopped at the bottom level, Pepper asked FRIDAY to locate Asiago bagels and they began walking down the streets of Milan in search for a good cafe.


	6. Chapter 6

Peter and Pepper spent the day sight seeing.  They went to a couple cathedrals and spent time in the Milan Archaeology Museum before meeting up with Tony around 2:00pm.  After that, they went to see more cathedrals at Pepper's demand then went out to eat at a fancy restaurant at Tony's demand.  Peter's demand was for gelato and he ended up with more than he could finish. 

"What's the plan for tomorrow?"  Tony asked as they walked out of the restaurant.  Happy opened the car doors for them and they all climbed in the back seat.  It was a little crammed, but none of them really minded. 

"I was thinking we could go sight seeing some more,"  Pepper said.  After bargaining, the plan was changed to sight seeing in the morning and shopping in the afternoon (gelato was mixed in somewhere; Peter didn't care as long as he got more).  Pepper and Tony were still arguing over the plan when they got to the hotel, but Peter had long since tuned them out. 

"We should go swimming!"  he exclaimed as they stepped in the elevator.  Tony and Pepper both looked down to see him grinning happily. 

"Where?"  Pepper asked. 

"In the hotel pool,"  Peter said as if it was obvious.  Tony didn't need to be convinced.  Pepper agreed to at least go down in her swimsuit and they were back in the elevator five minutes later.  Peter was practically bouncing as he watched the numbers change above the elevator doors.  When they arrived back on the ground floor where the pool was, he hopped out and bounded down the hall in search of a pool. 

"Excuse me, young man!"  an employee called out, stopping Peter in his tracks.  "You're not allowed to run down these halls shirtless." 

"I'm looking for the pool,"  Peter told him.  He was pretty sure he was lost anyway and he couldn't see his parents from around the corner. 

"The pool is for guests staying at the hotel,"  the employee said, not rudely, just matter-of-factly. 

"We are guests,"  Tony said, walking around the corner with Pepper.  The employee nodded. 

"Alright,"  he replied.  He pointed down the hall and spoke directly to Peter as he said, "Take a right at the next opportunity then it's on your right.  Third door down and you'll need your room key." 

"Thanks!"  Peter said.  The employee just smiled and left.  Peter found the pool easily and waited for his parents to show up with the key card.  Pepper unlocked the door and Tony and Peter raced inside.  They dove into the pool, causing the previously smooth water to splash and become wavy.  Pepper was glad there hadn't been anyone else in the pool or else they probably would have been upset. 

When the boys resurfaced, they turned to look for Pepper.  She was sitting in a pool side chair, far enough away their jumping wouldn't get her wet.  She was pulling out a Stark tablet and looking for something to read when she felt water splash her.  She glared at the two boys who grinned innocently at her.  She wasn't very wet, but she had no doubt she'd just been splashed. 

"Come join us, Pep!"  Tony called.  Pepper shook her head. 

"Not after you just splashed me,"  she replied.  Tony frowned and looked at Peter who was busy blowing bubbles on the surface of the water. 

"It'll be fun!"  Tony told her.  Pepper smiled and shook her head again. 

"Maybe later,"  she said.  Tony huffed in fake annoyance and turned to Peter.  Pepper wasn't sure what they began doing, but it looked like some sort of game.  She read her book while they splashed around, the sounds of Peter's squeals and Tony's laughter barely registering in her head as she focused on her reading.  When it got quiet, she looked up.  Neither boy was in the pool.  She looked around the room and spotted them in the hot tub, talking quietly.  Peter was playing with the bubbles from the jet, putting them on his face to be Santa Clause and Tony was rolling his eyes. 

"Mom!  Come in!"  Peter said, waving his hand and flicking bubbles onto Tony's face.  Tony scrunched up his face and wiped them off before turning to look at Pepper as well. 

"I don't really want to get wet right now, hon,"  Pepper replied.  Peter frowned and lowered himself in the hot tub until just his head was visible. 

"Pretty please?"  he asked.  He was giving her puppy dog eyes and as much as Pepper told herself it didn't work, it often did.  "I promise I won't splash you.  Dad won't either."  Peter gave Tony a sharp glare and Tony crossed his heart. 

"No splashing,"  he promised.  Pepper sighed and put her tablet down.  Peter cheered, jumping up and splashing Tony.  Pepper slid into the hot tub and Peter remade his Santa Clause beard. 

"Look!"  he grinned.  Pepper smiled and put some bubbles in his hair.  He frowned and took the bubbles off.  He grabbed more and put them on Tony's hair, not sure if Pepper would get out if he put them on her. 

"Hey, I already said I couldn't be Santa,"  Tony declared, getting rid of the bubbles in a hurry.  "I'm too good looking."  Peter scoffed. 

"Come on, Dad,"  he said.  "Everyone knows you couldn't be Santa because you're not skinny enough."  Tony's jaw dropped and he looked at Pepper who was giggling quietly. 

"Did you just call me fat?"  Tony asked in disbelief.  Peter's giggling got louder and turned into full out laughter.  "You absolute prick!"  Tony exclaimed, jumping on Peter and playfully shoving him under the water.  He didn't hold Peter under and when he came back up, Peter jumped on him.  Pepper shrieked as water splashed her, but neither boy let up from their wrestling.  When it looked like Tony was going to win, she jumped on his back and helped Peter defeat him.  It took a while to get Tony to admit defeat and by the time he had, the hot tub had lost a considerable amount of water. 

"We win,"  Peter said victoriously.  Tony grumbled. 

"Yeah, whatever,"  he muttered.  He pulled himself out of the hot tub.  "Let's go see if Italy has any good movies to watch."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From here on out, the story involves kidnapping, so just be aware of that.

"So this is from that car that exploded?"  Ned asked, holding a piece of blue scrap metal in front of him.  Peter nodded, having just finished telling Ned the story behind his souvenir.  "That's awesome,"  he breathed. 

"Yeah,"  Peter agreed.  Even Michelle had agreed it was a pretty cool souvenir, so Peter figured he'd have a hard time one up-ing it on his next trip. 

"I still think the leather would have been cooler,"  Michelle said.  Peter rolled his eyes, not bothering to tell her (again) that it wouldn't have been possible.  The only reason he had the scrap metal was because Iron Man managed to snatch it up in the midst of pulling drivers out of crashed cars and putting out the fires.  Technically, he wasn't supposed to have it.  He doubted anyone would tell Iron Man to give back a piece of scrap metal, though, so he wasn't that concerned. 

"Mr. Stark?"  Mr. Patrick asked, tapping Peter on the shoulder.  Peter jumped and spun around in his seat to face his homeroom teacher.  As soon as he looked up at him, he remembered he still hadn't talked to him about whatever Mr. Patrick needed him for.  It had been more than just the weekend, too.  "May I have a word with you now?"  Mr. Patrick asked.  Peter nodded, excusing himself from the lunch table with Ned, Michelle, and a few kids that were still trying to be his friend to get to his dad. 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Patrick,"  Peter said, following his teacher down the hallway.  "I forgot to talk to you before I left and then I forgot this morning." 

"Oh, don't worry about it, Peter,"  Mr. Patrick said, opening his classroom door and letting Peter walk in first.  "It won't take that long.  Please, take a seat,"  he said, motioning to a desk.  Peter sat down in the front row and Mr. Patrick sat on his own desk directly in front of Peter. 

"Am I in trouble?"  Peter asked.  He wasn't sure what he would be in trouble for, but it wouldn't be the first time a teacher had gotten upset with him without his knowledge. 

"No, of course not,"  Mr. Patrick replied.  Peter nodded.  That was good; he wouldn't be going home with a note for his parents.  That never really ended well on the teacher's part, and Peter often felt bad whenever a teacher received his parents' wrath.  "I just wanted to ask you about your childhood,"  Mr. Patrick said.  Peter frowned in confusion, looking up at Mr. Patrick with his head tilted to one side.  "When you were four, your father adopted you, yes?"  Peter nodded, unsure where Mr. Patrick was going with this.  It wasn't uncommon knowledge that Peter was adopted at four, he'd just never been confronted by a teacher about it.  "Your mother was murdered by a man you put in prison, yes?"  Mr. Patrick asked.   _Alright,_ Peter thought to himself,  _that wasn't common knowledge._

"Um, how do you know that, sir?"  Peter asked tentatively.  Mr. Patrick ignored him, looking towards the back of the classroom briefly before continuing. 

"Do you remember that man?"  he asked.  Peter didn't respond.  The less he said at this point, the better it would be.  "James Richie was his name.  He's dead now, thanks to you and your father for getting him arrested.  There were a couple others with him though, that one day when he was in the Stark Tower with you and Miss Potts." 

"I'm gonna go,"  Peter said softly, slowly standing up.  Mr. Patrick firmly grasped his shoulders and forced him to sit down.  Peter's eyes widened when he realised Mr. Patrick wasn't letting him leave and he looked around for something to throw at him. 

"They were imprisoned, but we're out now,"  Mr. Patrick said, glaring at Peter who was too distracted to notice more people had entered the room.  "We're out, and we haven't forgotten how you ruined our lives."  Peter scrambled out of the desk, racing towards the mason jar holding pencils, but he was grabbed from behind.  Yelling, he struggled to escape his attacker but was met with Mr. Patrick shoving something in his mouth to quiet his screams. 

"The van's out back,"  a man behind Peter said.  Mr. Patrick grabbed hold of one of Peter's arms while a third man grabbed his other one.  His hands were roped together behind his back and he was practically carried out through the emergency exit in Mr. Patrick's classroom.  Peter tried to kick the man holding his legs, but he couldn't get his legs loose.  He was dropped in the back of a van, more rope tying him to a seat so he couldn't escape and the three men and Mr. Patrick piled in after him.  Seconds after they sped out of the parking lot, one of the men injected Peter with something.  It didn't take long before his vision was blurring and he fell asleep. 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of alcohol and drugs. Also, Peter's been kidnapped at this point so there will be abuse. Not horribly graphic, but it will be there.

Tony was humming along to Led Zeppelin in his lab, fiddling with his Iron Man suit and trying to come up with a better way to put out fires.  After the crash at the Grand Prix, he figured he could do well to put a fire extinguisher in his suit along with a filter to make the air smell clean.  The smell of burning rubber wasn't something he enjoyed and burning cars on a racetrack tended to smell like it. He had almost finished installing it, too, when FRIDAY announced an incoming call from Pepper. 

"Hey, honey,"  Tony said, reaching for a different screwdriver. 

"Hey,"  Pepper replied.  "Ned just called and said Peter's not at school.  I told you he can't just keep skipping classes to travel to world or help with your fancy toys."  Tony frowned, still not agreeing with that idea, but slightly concerned because he hadn't talked to Peter since breakfast. 

"I don't have him, Pep,"  Tony told her, swatting Dum-E away from the suit and sending him over to play with U and Butterfingers.  "Haven't spoken to him since breakfast.  What did Ned say?" 

"He just said he hadn't seen Peter since he went to talk to Mr. Patrick during lunch,"  Pepper said, sending her assistant out of her office.  She pulled out her phone and texted Peter, asking where he was before continuing.  "He should be in band right now, but he's not according to Ned." 

"Let me check,"  Tony said, wiping his hands off then pulling up a hologram.  He found the file that kept track of Peter's location at all times via a watch and opened it up.  According to the tracker, Peter was hanging out behind the school.  Tony told Pepper this and she frowned. 

"Why would he skip all his classes to hang out behind school?"  she asked.  Tony said he didn't know, but he was already suiting up to make sure his son hadn't come across the phenomenon that is drugs and alcohol.  He wasn't stupid enough to think middle schoolers never tried to stuff, but he did now Peter had shown hatred towards any kind of substance ever since Tony had come across him.  Nevertheless, he activated an old suit since his current one was in pieces on his lab floor and decided to check things out for himself. 

"I'll just run over and check on him,"  Tony told her.  Pepper sighed, but didn't try to convince him otherwise. 

"Alright,"  she agreed.  "Just try not to kill people if he is doing something he shouldn't." 

"We'll see,"  Tony said vaguely before hanging up and shooting off towards Midtown Middle School.  There was no way he was letting a bunch of kids off the hook for getting his son into drugs and alcohol even if they were minors. 

* * *

Peter was pretty sure by this point that Mr. Patrick was not, in fact, a middle school science teacher.  He'd only been awake for five minutes, but in that time, he'd figured that no teacher would kidnap one of their students after trying to murder them almost a decade earlier.  He was also pretty sure teachers didn't drive like they were in a Nascar race or the Grande Prix.  He'd already hit his head pretty hard on the floor of the van a couple of times; the last time had woken him up.  He didn't need his hands free to know there was a large bump on the back of his head now. 

"Only fifteen more minutes, Peter,"  the man beside him cooed.  "You can go back to sleep if you want."  Peter shook his head after struggling to sit up. 

"No thanks, man,"  he replied.  "I'm good."  The man sneered at him and backhanded Peter across his face.  The loud  _smack_ caught Mr. Patrick's attention, but he didn't say anything when he saw Peter topple back to the floor of the van. 

"It wasn't a request,"  the man growled.  Peter stayed on the floor of the van, but didn't go back to sleep.  The last thing he wanted was to be unconscious in front of his kidnappers any longer than they forced him to be and right now, he was doing fine on sleep. 


	9. Chapter 9

When the van finally did stop, the men didn't bother being gentle with Peter.  He was drug out of the van and towards an abandoned building before he could get on his feet, resulting in him tumbling out of the van onto the ground.  He struggled to stand up as the men drug him, his knees scraping in the gravel thanks to his shorts and his hands stinging from falling on them and scraping them as well.  Eventually he managed to get to his feet and walk between to men, following Mr. Patrick with another man behind Peter. 

"Take him to his room,"  Mr. Patrick instructed, waving an arm in the direction Peter's room was.  Mr. Patrick went the opposite direction while the three men took Peter down the dark hall.  They came to a door and the man that wasn't holding onto Peter, the one Peter decided to call Blondie, unlocked the door.  The two others, now deemed Scruffy and Giant for their appearances, shoved Peter into the room and the door slammed shut behind him. 

"Hey!  That's not very nice,"  Peter exclaimed, crashing to the ground as he tripped.  His hands were still behind his back, but he managed to roll onto his back and stand up after coming face to face with the ground.  He walked over to the worn mattress in the corner of the room and sat on it, looking around the room. 

There weren't any windows and the one light in the room was a single bulb hanging from the ceiling.  There was moss growing on the walls and a drainage hole in the centre of the room.  Peter scrunched up his nose at the thought of that being his bathroom; especially once he saw the blinking red light directly across from him, signalling a camera in the room.  Peter sighed and flopped backwards onto the mattress.  His wrists twisted and her grimaced, shifting to get more comfortable as he stared up at the dim ceiling. 

"This must be the epitome of luxury,"  he muttered to himself. 

* * *

The moment Tony dropped down in the back parking lot of Midtown Middle School, he knew something was wrong.  According to FRIDAY, Peter should have been standing right in front of him.  However, the only thing in front of him was a pigeon pecking on Peter's watch.  Tony waved it off and picked up the familiar item, frowning when he saw it had been scratched.  Peter never took the thing off (Tony was fairly certain his son had figured out there was a tracking mechanism in it) and took such good care of it, Tony would have thought it to be alive if he didn't know better.  The fact the watch was scratched and on the ground, Peter nowhere in sight, made Tony uneasy. 

"FRI, get me into the school's security camera footage,"  Tony said, collapsing his suit back into it's bracelet.  He walked into the school through the back doors and headed straight for the principal's office, putting his glasses on so he could have access to FRIDAY along with the small device in his ear.  He saw a couple students stare at him as he walked past, but the building was mostly empty.  Only a few clubs ran as late as 4:30pm, so most of the students and teachers had gone home.  Luckily for Tony, the principal wasn't one of them. 

"Mr. Stark!"  Principal Jones exclaimed, standing up from his desk to shake Tony's hand.  Tony gave a firm shake then let go quickly, wanting to know exactly where his son was. 

"Jones, I want to know why my son is missing,"  Tony said bluntly.  Principal Jones blinked, trying to process Tony's statement.  "My wife got a call saying he's been missing since lunch; a call from his friend, not the school.  I want to know where he is and why I wasn't told." 

"I can assure you, Mr. Stark,"  Principal Jones began hastily, "that if your son is missing, we had no idea.  We would have notified you immediately if we did."  Tony nodded, but Principal Jones knew that wasn't the answer he was supposed to give. 

"Did you not think it was suspicious when he didn't make any of his afternoon classes?"  Tony asked.  Principal Jones didn't respond, but FRIDAY did. 

"The security cameras appear to have been shut off during lunch,"  she told Tony.  Tony frowned. 

"By who?"  he asked.  Principal Jones tilted his head to one side, wondering who Tony was talking to but not wanting to ask and appear stupid.  Maybe he had an invisible body guard that only he could hear. 

"By a Mr. Leonard Hutch, also known as Peter's homeroom teacher Mr. Patrick,"  FRIDAY reported.  Principal Jones attempted to ask what Tony was talking about or to, but Tony waved him off.  "Mr. Hutch has recently been released from prison along with three friends: Amos James, Henry Smyth, and Frank Teller.  All four were associated with James Richie and imprisoned for 7 years after attempted murder of Peter Stark." 

"Run that by me again,"  Tony said slowly.  FRIDAY did, but Tony didn't hear a word she said.  Peter was with people that had tried to kill him before.  He was back with the men that had tried to kill him with James Richie.  How had they found him?  _Okay_ , Tony decided,  _that part probably wasn't that hard_.  "Jones, I'm gonna need your file on your employee Mr. Patrick." 

"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark,"  Principal Jones said, "but those are confidential." 

"Are you aware you hired a recently released felon?"  Tony snapped.  Principal Jones seemed just as surprised at the news as Tony expected.  "That's what I thought.  Now let me see the files and I'll be out of your hair." 


	10. Chapter 10

Peter was in the middle of counting the number of bricks around his room when the door opened and Blondie and Scruffy walked in.  He sat upright and faced them, wondering if they were bringing him food.  Apparently they weren't, but Peter didn't realise this until they had hauled him to his feet and led him down the hallway.  He let them take him into a far room, up a couple of stairs and to the right.  They walked inside and Peter blinked rapidly.  It was a lot brighter in this room and the room itself looked newly renovated. 

"So glad you could join us, Peter,"  Mr. Patrick said.  He motioned towards a chair in front of him and Peter was forced into it.  Blondie held him down, keeping his hands on Peter's shoulders to prevent him from being able to get up, and Mr. Patrick sat in a chair behind his desk. 

"Are you gonna feed me sometime?"  Peter asked.  He knew from movies (and maybe FRIDAY and JARVIS had told him about his dad's kidnappings before) that if he talked, they were less likely to get about doing whatever they planned.  Besides, he was starving. 

"Not if you ask,"  Mr. Patrick replied.  Peter frowned and stared in silence as Mr. Patrick dialed a number on his phone.  Peter didn't have to guess who he was calling because there was really only one person Mr. Patrick would call.  Sure, he might call his mom, but Peter had a $100 on the phone call being to his dad.  "Ah, Mr. Stark,"  Mr. Patrick grinned, looking at Peter.  "I have someone here for you."  Mr. Patrick held the phone out to Peter, but he didn't say a word, settling for glaring at Mr. Patrick. 

"Peter?  Peter, answer me!"  Tony exclaimed, clutching his phone tightly.  He didn't have to ask to know the caller was Leonard.  There was no doubt in his mind, either, that the person who was "there for him" was Peter.  Unfortunately, Peter didn't say anything and Tony grew worried. 

"Say hello,"  Leonard prompted, his voice barely audible over the speaker.  Peter still refused to speak, so he motioned for Giant to make him do so.  The man punched Peter square in the jaw and Peter cried out in pain.  Mr. Patrick motioned for him to continue, so Giant slapped Peter across the face followed by a sharp kick to his shins.  Peter screamed and Tony almost lost his lunch at the sound. 

"Stop!"  he yelled into the phone.  Peter's screams stopped, but he knew that didn't mean his kid was safe now.  They'd just hurt him more if they wanted to and Tony couldn't do anything about it from his lab.  FRIDAY couldn't get a trace on the call. 

"Here's the deal, Stark,"  Leonard said, bringing the phone close enough Tony could hear him clearly.  "We suffered for seven years in those prison cells thanks to you and your son.  That's not something we're gonna forget easily." 

"What do you want?"  Tony asked, struggling to come up with new ideas on how to trace the phone call.  Leonard tutted softly. 

"It's not that easy,"  he replied, "You have to find us yourself using only your brain.  We'll leave a clue in place for five hours.  If you don't find it by then, it disappears.  You won't ever find us without those clues, so you better figure them out fast." 

"Give me the first clue,"  Tony demanded.  Leonard seemed to enjoy pausing dramatically, almost as if he was reconsidering giving Tony clues. 

"Denmark and Egypt were murdered, oh five oh two, then Lodi made peace with ten four,"  Leonard sang softly.  Tony wrote down the words as fast as he could, but Leonard continued without pause.  "The east is the south's friend, but west and north never blend."  The line clicked off and Tony scribbled down the last line, staring at the words he'd written.  How was he supposed to figure out the first clue if he could hardly focus on the words?  In a wave of anger, he threw his phone across the lab and screamed.  When he got Peter back, the kid was never leaving the Tower ever again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a little short, but I hope you liked it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This contains a small panic attack right at the beginning, so don't read if it might trigger you. If you don't want to read that, skip to the page break (* * *) to continue reading.

Pepper couldn't remember the last time Tony had seemed to unfocused and easily irritated at the same time.  She knew this wasn't the first time as she knew exactly how to deal with it, but she didn't remember an exact time.  Not that she could blame him; she was on edge herself, but refused to let herself panic about the situation.  She had been managing pretty well, too.  In fact, she was in the middle of talking to an officer on the phone when she found she couldn't hold it back anymore. 

"I'm going to have to call you back, Sheriff Davis,"  she said, forcing her breaths to stay even so she wouldn't worry the officer. 

"Is everything alright, Mrs. Stark?"  the sheriff asked. 

"Yes, yes,"  she assured him, one hand grasping at her chest as she felt the panic for Peter build up.  "I just—I have to go... go do something real fast." 

"Alright, we'll be on the look out,"  Sheriff Davis promised.  Pepper quickly thanked him and hung up, dropping her phone on the floor due to her shaking hands.  She didn't bother picking it up.  Instead, she sat in the middle of the couch and tried to breath, forcing thoughts of Peter to leave her mind.  That did the exact opposite of what she wanted, though, and Peter didn't seem to leave her mind. 

"You seem to be experiencing a small panic attack, Miss Stark,"  FRIDAY said.  Pepper whimpered in response.  She didn't have panic attacks; those were supposed to be Tony's thing, not her's.  She was supposed to be the always calm one that had a handle on every situation.  "Would you like me to notify Boss?" 

"No, FRIDAY,"  Pepper yelped.  The last thing she wanted right now was for Tony to find her in a mess in the living room.  It would scare him and probably make all progress he had made disappear.  "I'm fine,"  Pepper whispered to the AI.  'Fine' turned into soft cries which was followed by sobbing into a pillow when she thought about Peter, probably curled up somewhere with kidnappers demanding money from him.

"Hey, Pepper,"  someone said softly.  Pepper lifted her head up from the couch pillow she had been crying into to see Tony kneeling in front of her.  The stupid AI had called Tony against her will. 

"Tony,"  she cried quietly.  Tony nodded and stood up to sit beside her on the couch.  He gently pulled her to his chest where she curled up and cried into his grease stained t-shirt. 

"I got a hold of Peter,"  Tony told her softly.  Pepper hiccoughed in response and Tony continued.  "He's alive.  A little nervous, but he seems to be alright overall.  He'll be okay.  He's a strong kid."  There was no way Tony was going to tell her he'd been given a riddle and five hours to solve it.  It had already been an hour and a half and he'd be lying if he said it was easy to figure out.  He had never been great with history and clearly Leonard knew this. 

"I'm so worried,"  Pepper whispered between her crying.  Tony nodded and pressed a kiss to her head before burying his face in her hair. 

"I know,"  he replied, leaving the  _Me too_ out of his statement. 

* * *

Peter really didn't appreciate the phrase "tough love".  When he'd asked Mr. Patrick why he wasn't being given dinner, the man had simply responded with the cliche phrase and sent Peter out of the room.  He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting in his room when the light suddenly turned off, but he knew it was long enough he'd completely missed dinner.  At the sudden darkness in the room, Peter yelped and scurried back against the wall.  Scruffy had untied his wrists after dropping him off back in his room, but the skin underneath had been rubbed raw so his hands weren't much help to him anyway. 

"Go to sleep,"  a voice demanded from outside the door.  Peter glanced up at the blinking camera light and slowly laid down on his bed.  "Good boy,"  the voice outside said.  Peter didn't hear anything after that, preoccupying himself with watching the red blinking light.  It never turned off and as Peter counted the number of times it blinked, he began to get sleepy.  He fought off his tiredness as best he could, but on the 352nd blink of the red light, Peter's eyes slowly closed and he was soon falling into a fitful sleep. 


	12. Chapter 12

Tony could hardly keep from screaming in joy when he figured out the riddle with twenty minutes to spare.  The Empire State Building seemed so obvious now that he'd figured it out; but he didn't have time to revel in his victory.  Pepper was fast asleep on the couch, her head in his lap, and he didn't want to wake her, but he needed to leave.  He carefully moved her tear stained face off his thighs and stood up.  He suited up and shot out of the penthouse without bothering to tell FRIDAY what to tell Pepper when she woke up.  Instead, he flew to the Empire State Building and demanded he be let up to the 104 floors.  After arguing with the receptionist for a few minutes, he was allowed up.  The elevator ride seemed impossibly slow, but when he finally got to the top floor, he raced to the south east corner of the room.  He had ten minutes to find his clue and he had no idea what it would look like. 

"FRIDAY, give me a scan of the entire place and let me know if there's anything that could be a clue,"  Tony instructed.  FRIDAY did as was told and came up with a small flip phone crammed between two desks.  Tony pried it out and opened it up.  There was a single text on the screen with the words "who said call me?".  Tony wanted to crush the phone, but instead he searched around for more information.  There was only one text on the phone and no contacts.  There was no way this was just an office worker's phone, so he clutched the wimpy device and flew back to the penthouse.  In the middle of his flight, the phone vibrated.  He waited until landing to open it up and didn't bother hesitating to crush the phone when he saw a timer had begun.  He had four hours to solve this riddle and he had even less clues to work with. 

* * *

Peter woke up to his room light flickering on and a pounding on the door.  He jumped upright, staring at the door as it slowly opened.  In walked Mr. Patrick, Giant, Scruffy, and Blondie.  Scruffy was carrying what looked like a small vial, but it was completely empty as far as Peter could tell.  While confused, he was glad they didn't appear to be about to inject him with some painful, slow killing poison.  He really didn't want to have to explain to his parents he'd been injected with some poison they probably couldn't cure. 

"Daddy solved the first clue,"  Mr. Patrick told Peter, standing at the edge of the dirty mattress Peter was sitting on. 

" 'Course he did,"  Peter replied as if it was obvious.  However, he'd been a little worried when he heard it since he knew his dad wasn't the best when it came to history. 

"He's working on the second one right now,"  Mr. Patrick said, glancing over at Giant and Blondie.  "But we need to get ready for the third and final clue, so you're gonna help us out."  Peter scoffed. 

"Sure I am,"  he said.  Giant stepped forward at Mr. Patrick's signal and smashed his fist into Peter's face again.  Peter cried out in pain as he hit an older bruise and Giant kicked him in the stomach harshly. 

"You say another word and I'll make sure your daddy doesn't find you,"  Mr. Patrick threatened.  Peter decided it was better not to risk it and stayed quiet.  Mr. Patrick turned to Blondie, telling him, "Amos will pin him down while you get what we need."  Peter's eyes widened when Giant, now known as Amos, kneeled on his legs, pinning them down, then grabbing Peter's arms and keeping them still.  Peter squirmed as Blondie started towards him, followed by Scruffy with the vial.  When Blondie pulled out a large syringe, Peter squirmed even harder, whimpering as he tried to escape. 

"Now, now,"  Blondie cooed softly.  He gently petted Peter's hair and Peter flinched away.  "This won't hurt much if you don't squirm."  At that, Blondie jabbed the syringe into Peter's arm and he yelped, the needle breaking through his skin harshly and going right into a vein.  Blondie drew Peter's blood and  squirted it into the vial Scruffy had.  He yanked the syringe out and didn't bother covering it up before he stood and walked away.  Scruffy capped the vial and handed it to Mr. Patrick who grinned at the dark liquid.  Giant climbed off Peter, putting more weight than necessary on his legs and making Peter sure they would bruise even more than they had from the earlier kick he'd received. 

"Thank you for your cooperation, Peter,"  Mr. Patrick said.  He smiled warmly at Peter who curled up on his mattress, trying hard not to cry from the pain in his arm and face.  He watched as Mr. Patrick and his friends left the room, leaving Peter alone once again. 


	13. Chapter 13

Pepper walked into the lab to find Tony listening to and analysing all his recent phone calls.  FRIDAY was scanning his emails, a hologram quickly scrolling through all the letters.  Tony was tugging at his hair, staring blankly at the floor as he listened to a phone call he'd had with Rhodey recently.  She frowned, walking over and standing behind him before gently pulling his hands from his hair and distracting him for a moment.  He looked up at her and Pepper's heart broke when she saw the empty look in his eyes. 

"I can't find it, Pepper,"  Tony whispered.  Pepper held both his hands in one of hers and put her other hand on his cheek. 

"Find what?"  she asked, her thumb caressing his cheek softly. 

"Peter, the clue, the answers, anything,"  he groaned, dropping his head.  Pepper knelt down in front of him and he sniffled before glancing up at her.  "They left me a clue three hours ago.  I have an hour left to solve it or they'll take Peter for good." 

"What do you mean?"  Pepper asked.  Tony explained how he'd gotten a phone call, giving him his first clue and five hours to solve it.  He told her about the second clue and about the phone, telling her he couldn't figure it out this time. 

"It's not an equation or a question really,"  Tony said,  "it's just trying to find out who said "call me".  Do you know how many people say that?  Everyone!"  Pepper sighed, knowing how often they both heard that phrase. 

"It can't be too long ago,"  she concluded,  "I'd say no more than a week ago.  FRIDAY deletes all messages once they've been received unless they're marked important.  They can't have gotten a hold of old messages."  Tony nodded. 

"I suppose you're right,"  he replied.  The lab was silent for a few seconds while they both thought.  In the few seconds they were quiet, though, Rhodey's message came to an end and made both of them freeze. 

"Tony, just call me, okay?"  he said.  The line went dead and the next message popped up.  Tony scrambled to stop it and bring up Rhodey's message again. 

"It's Rhodey!"  he exclaimed.  Pepper wasn't too sure, but Tony seemed absolutely positive.  "Pep, I have to run over to Rhodey's house real quick.  Stay here." 

"Hang on, you don't get to just disappear!"  Pepper said, but it was already too late.  Tony was bounding up the stairs without second thoughts.  Pepper rolled her eyes and followed him up the stairs, going down to the garage instead of suiting up and shooting off into the sky.  After plugging in the location for Rhodey's work office, she headed off in an Audi to do her own search for a clue. 

* * *

Rhodey wasn't a big fan of being woken up at early hours of the morning.  Which is precisely why he was carrying a gun when he went to investigate the strange sounds coming from outside his bedroom.  The sight of Tony rummaging through his desk at one in the morning was something he hadn't seen before, so it took him a couple minutes before he was able to form a sentence that wouldn't sound like gibberish.  Tony jumped at his voice, swinging around and raising his gauntlet at the intruder.  He only relaxed when Rhodey raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Sorry, thought you were someone else,"  Tony muttered before returning to his hasty search. 

"Who else would have been at my house at one in the morning?"  Rhodey asked sarcastically, putting his gun down and watching Tony.  Tony shrugged, not looking up from his desk. 

"A known felon that kidnapped my son,"  Tony replied.  At first, Rhodey thought he was kidding, but Tony didn't show any sign of joking and he suddenly began to worry. 

"What?"  he asked.  Tony growled in frustration, slamming Rhodey's desk shut and turning to open the filing cabinet. 

"Yeah,"  Tony sighed, exasperated with his lack of results.  "Remember James Richie?  Yeah, his goons kidnapped Peter from school about ten hours ago and keep leaving me clues, threatening to all but kill him if I don't solve them in a certain amount of time." 

"That's insane!"  Rhodey exclaimed.  Tony nodded curtly.  "What's the clue?" 

"It was just about who said "call me", which happened to be you,"  Tony replied.  Rhodey frowned, rushing to tell Tony he had no part in kidnapping Peter.  "I know, Platypus.  I never accused you of kidnapping him, you just happened to be caught in the middle of clues."  Rhodey nodded. 

"How can I help?"  he asked.  Tony looked around the destroyed room. 

"Help me find the clue,"  he answered. 


	14. Chapter 14

Pepper wasn't too terribly surprised to find someone in the office even if it was nearly 1:30 in the morning.  It was a military base and she knew most people on the base most likely suffered from PTSD, leaving them awake at odd hours of the night.  It wasn't even that hard to get into Rhodey's office.  She simply told them she'd been sent to pick something up for him to help him sleep at night and the officer let her right up to his office.  She had barely sat down at his desk when his computer lit up, asking for James Rhodes's access code.  She looked around to see if she could find it and stared at the bright yellow sticky note near the mouse that read  _Password: WarMachineR0x._

"Really?"  she asked herself, typing in the password quickly.  As soon as she had, a memo popped up on the screen with a note addressed to Tony.   _Tony, transfusions can lead to death._   She frowned at the ominous note before a map appeared on the screen and a count down. 

"Two hours, fifty-nine minutes, and forty-seven seconds remaining,"  a mechanical voice announced.  Pepper jumped and scrambled for her phone, speed dialing Tony.  He picked up on the second ring. 

"Pep?  What's going on?"  he asked, clearly worried she'd been attacked. 

"I found the clue,"  she told him.  He tried to tell her off for leaving the house, but she ignored him.  "At Rhodey's office.  There's a map and some weird sentence." 

"Send it to me,"  he said quickly.  Pepper took a photo of the computer screen and sent it to Tony.  She heard him mutter the clue then he went silent. 

"What?  Did you figure it out already?"  she asked.  How had he solved it so quickly?  It wasn't even a riddle, just a sentence that sounded ominous. 

"Rhodey, where's the nearest blood bank?"  Tony said, his voice muted over the phone so Pepper couldn't hear.  He was really hoping he was wrong, but he needed to check and make sure.  The clue was so obvious this time and it was clear Leonard wanted him to solve his riddles and find Peter, but at what cost? 

"Blood bank?  Why would you need a blood bank?"  Rhodey asked.  Tony rolled his eyes.  "It's about three miles out, but why?" 

"Pepper, get to the Compound and get Medical ready,"  Tony instructed.  He heard her sharp intake of breath and knew she was thinking the worst.  "Nothing's wrong, I just need it ready in case we find Peter and he has something in his bloodstream." 

"Okay,"  she agreed.  Tony was already out the door and back in his suit, Rhodey following close behind and still in his pyjamas.  "Tony?" 

"Huh?"  Tony replied, hesitating before launching into the air. 

"Be safe,"  she told him.  He grinned, powering up his thrusters. 

"Aren't I always?"  he teased. 

* * *

Peter woke up in a different room than the one he'd fallen asleep in.  He didn't know how (and wasn't sure if he wanted to know how) he'd been moved without being woken up, but this room was a lot newer and had real lighting.  His arms were tied together in front of him and he was sitting on top of a very tall podium.  Risking a glance down, all he could see were sharp spikes rising up from the floor beneath him.  He gasped as best as his bruised chest would allow him and quickly sat upright.  There was no way he was letting himself tip out of his chair and land on one of those ugly looks finger nail-like things. 

"Wakey, wakey,"  Mr. Patrick grinned, appearing in front of Peter from behind a glass window.  "Daddy found your little gift and has come to get you."  Peter wasn't sure if the no talking rule still applied, so he decided it'd be best to just stay quiet.  "You see, once he gets here, we're gonna play a little game: How long can Peter survive before his dad gives up on him?" 

"He won't give up on me,"  Peter whispered, more to himself than Mr. Patrick.  Mr. Patrick raised an eyebrow at him then glanced at the computer screen in front of Amos. 

"Do you think he'll solve the equation in order to get the access code?"  Mr. Patrick asked Peter.  Peter didn't reply.  He was done entertaining Mr. Patrick now that his dad was here (allegedly).  "I guess we'll have to wait and see.  Start it up, Amos." 


	15. Chapter 15

Tony had solved the last riddle, figure out what the map was for, and found Peter's location.  Rhodey had refused to let him face Leonard and his gang alone while Pepper insisted she stay online with the both of them.  Tony wasn't entirely glad she would be able to see both his and Rhodey's facial expressions (he wasn't sure how he'd react upon seeing Peter and what state his son would be in when he did), but he didn't want her to think they had all died and panic even more.  That's how he came to be standing outside an old, run down warehouse, frowning at a brand new access code screen while Pepper gave him information on his location. 

"Okay, Pep,"  Tony interrupted, staring at the blank screen.  "I'm gonna need you to either hang up or be quiet because I kind of need to focus and you're not really helping." 

"Sorry,"  she apologised quickly,  "I'll just mute myself."  Tony nodded as he heard her mute herself and FRIDAY confirm she would no longer be able to communicate with them until she un-muted herself.  Just as Tony blinked, the screen before him came to life.  Instead of just a four digit code like he'd expected (even though he had no doubt they knew FRIDAY could crack it in seconds), an equation appeared.  Just below it was written  _Answer = _ _ __.  At least he knew the answer was three digits. Tony only needed a couple seconds to calculate it before he was punching in the code.  After entering the numbers  _6 16_ , Peter's birthday, the lock clicked and the door slowly swung open. 

"That's creepy,"  Rhodey said, watching the door apprehensively.  Tony shrugged and plowed on through the door and down a hall.  "Where are we even going, Tony?" 

"Heat signatures on the third floor,"  Tony told him, hurrying to where FRIDAY was providing five heat signatures, one registering as Peter Stark while the other four appeared unknown even though Tony knew who they were. 

"What's the plan?"  Rhodey asked.  Tony didn't actually have a plan, but he didn't feel like now was the best time to inform Rhodey of that fact. 

"Just do what I say when I say it,"  Tony answered.  Rhodey raised an eyebrow at him.  "It's too hard to explain; you'll just have to trust me." 

"Alright,"  Rhodey agreed.  The rest of their race up the stairs was quiet except for the pounding of their feet.  They came to an abrupt halt just outside the door Peter was behind.  Tony took a deep breath and was about to walk in when a screen flickered to his right, catching his attention.  He turned to look at it and saw Peter sitting precariously on top of what looked like a cylinder while large thorn protruded from the ground beneath him.  Rhodey didn't do so great at hiding his shock, but Tony wasn't sure he could move at all.  Peter had never looked so beat up before and he'd be lying if he promised Leonard and his trio a merciful death. 

"Leave the suit, Stark,"  a voice said from above.  Tony didn't remove his eyes from the screen, so the voice repeated the command.  "Leave the suit behind and we won't drop him."  Tony didn't think twice before climbing out of the suit, leaving it fully functioning and open right behind him. 

"Tony?  What are you doing?"  Rhodey hissed.  Tony waved him off, determined he was going to get Peter home safely no matter what. 

"Good,"  the voice said gently,  "Now leave your friend behind and come inside."  Rhodey tried to object, but Tony gave him a sharp look. 

"You follow the plan,"  Tony demanded.  He left Rhodey behind him, confused while Tony walked through the door.  Whatever Tony's plan was, Rhodey got the feeling it wasn't well thought out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's short, but I couldn't continue it and have the next chapter begin how it does, so I hope you can forgive me and read on.


	16. Chapter 16

Peter looked up from his dangerous spot on the edge of his chair when a door opened.  His eyes widened when he saw his dad standing directly across from him on the platform that led into the control room Mr. Patrick was in.  All his dad had to do was walk around the room and he'd be at the control panel, but he didn't move.  Instead, Tony kept his eyes on Peter, refusing to look anywhere else and accidentally screw up, resulting in Peter's sure death. 

"Glad you could join us, Stark,"  Mr. Patrick said, his voice echoing around the room.  Tony's head snapped up and he glared at the men in the control room. 

"I'm just here to collect my son, Leonard,"  Tony replied.  Peter's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  Leonard?  Who was Leonard?  Was it Blondie or Scruffy? 

"I see you did your research,"  Mr. Patrick stated.  Tony didn't react, watching Mr. Patrick as he fiddled with some buttons.  "Here's the deal: you transfer us all your money, no tricks or games, and we'll give you your son back.  If you try any fancy games, we drop him without second thought and you'll never find us."  Tony scoffed. 

"You're kidding,"  he said.  Mr. Patrick raised an eyebrow at him as if challenging him. 

"Am I?"  he retorted,  "Would you like to test that theory?"  He moved to press something and Tony all but lunged towards the control room. 

"No!"  he yelled.  His voice echoed around the room and Peter flinched at the loud noise.  Mr. Patrick looked pleased with his dad's reaction. 

"Do we have a deal, then?"  he asked.  Tony nodded, although it was obvious he didn't want to.  Mr. Patrick sent Amos out with a laptop, speaking through the microphone,  "Remember, any games and he drops."  Tony nodded, scratching his ear and opening the laptop Amos handed him.  Amos didn't move while Tony typed in his bank's web address. 

"Dad, don't do it!"  Peter exclaimed.  Tony glanced up at him briefly before resuming his typing.  "Dad!  It's not worth it!  I can handle the fall, just don't transfer all your money over." 

" _Prepare to send Mark XII in for Peter_ ,"  Tony said in Italian, looking directly at Peter.  Peter frowned, wondering why his dad was giving him such an odd command before remembering FRIDAY stayed in his ear at all times.  Peter glanced at the door, but his attention was diverted when Tony threw the laptop at Amos, hitting him square in the face and knocking him out instantly. 

Tony didn't bother picking up the laptop for defense again as he marched towards the control room.  He saw Peter's eyes widen and he flicked his wrist, sending the Iron Man suit flying towards Peter right as he was pushed off the ledge.  Tony watched as the suit carried Peter out the door and Rhodey came charging in.  Just as the two reached the control room, the Iron Man suit returned to Tony, wrapping itself around him while Rhodey punched the door off it's hinges.  Inside the control room were three terrified men, looking up at the iron suits that stood in the doorway. 

"Hello,"  Tony grinned, activating short range bullets and hitting all of them in the knees.  They dropped to the ground, crying out in pain while Tony shot them again in the elbows and pelvis.  "That's for hurting my kid,"  he said.  Instead of finishing them off, he turned and left the room, leaving them to bleed out while Rhodey followed him numbly. 

"Dad!"  Peter cried, throwing himself at the familiar Iron man suit once it had come through the door.  Tony carefully picked his son up and lifted a couple centimetres in the air. 

"It's okay, Peter,"  Tony assured him, leaving the warehouse smoothly as he floated outside.  "We're going to go home now,"  Tony promised.  Peter nodded, wrapping his arms around his dad's neck and burying his face in the cold metal.  Tony didn't with hold any power as he shot towards the Compound.  It was thirty minutes later that they arrived on the air strip and Tony hurried Peter down to the medical wing.  Just as he expected, Pepper was waiting for them and gasped when she saw how beat up Peter was.  Fortunately, he was still hiding his face, so she didn't see how bad it really was. 

"Tony, what happened?"  she demanded, following him over to the hospital bed Tony was going to set Peter on.  "You were offline and then Peter was in the suit and..."  Tony gently set Peter on the medical bed, allowing Pepper to fully see all his injuries except for the ones on his abdomen. 

"He's gonna be okay,"  Tony told her, watching as the doctors wheeled his unconscious son away.  "He's me; he'll be fine." 


	17. Chapter 17

When Peter woke up, he was in his bedroom at the Compound.  He frowned, trying to remember how he had gotten there before the events of the previous night returned to him.  He'd fallen unconscious on the way home, finally able to sleep peacefully in his dad's arms, so he wasn't too surprised he was at the Compound.  He didn't even need to worry about it being a ruse because when he opened his eyes, one of the first things he spotted was his dad sitting beside him in a chair, clutching his hand while his mom slept tucked up beside him in another chair. 

"FRIDAY?"  Peter whispered, not wanting to wake either of his parents.  "What time is it?" 

"It is 3:42pm,"  FRIDAY replied softly.  He glanced at his windows, not surprised to see them blackened so the room would remain dark.  "You've been asleep for a total of ten hours and thirty-seven minutes." 

"Oh,"  Peter said, looking down at his bed.  He lifted his shirt to see bandages wrapped around his torso.  He wasn't sure why they were there as the worst he'd had was a swift kick to the chest.  Surely you didn't bandage bruises, right? 

"Peter?"  his dad moaned, slowly waking up.  Peter put his shirt back down and turned to face his dad.  "Hey, kiddo,"  he said, leaning forward and brushing Peter's hair back.  Peter refused to flinch when his hand neared his forehead, but he was unable to stop himself completely and his dad noticed.  Tony immediately pulled back and Peter felt bad. 

"I'm sorry,"  he whispered, looking down at his bed and fiddling with the sheets. 

"No, I should have expected that,"  Tony told him, not offended just concerned.  "Are you okay?" 

"I guess,"  Peter replied.  Tony nodded, understanding what Peter meant.  "Why is my chest bandaged?"  he asked, remembering the strange sight he'd been met with earlier. 

"You have a few fractured ribs,"  Tony said.  He pointed to Peter's chest as he said,  "Those bandages won't help much with pain, so you might want to take it easy for a few weeks." 

"Oh yeah!"  Peter said, a little too loudly.  Pepper stirred and he softly apologised, but she didn't wake up.  "I was thinking, maybe I could have a couple days off school?"  Tony let out a breathy laugh and nodded. 

"Well, considering Principal Jones is under investigation for hiring a known felon, I'd say you'll get just that,"  Tony replied.  Peter tilted his head to the right, wondering what Tony was talking about.  "Yeah, Mr. Patrick was actually a man named Leonard.  He's dead now." 

"I hope you're not sharing graphic details with our son,"  Pepper murmured, opening her eyes and sitting upright.  Tony and Peter both looked at Pepper innocently, but she didn't buy it.  After giving Tony a warning look, she turned to Peter and smiled warmly at him.  "How do you feel?"  she asked. 

"Like I've been dropped out of a plane,"  Peter answered.  Pepper frowned but Tony didn't seem phased.  "I'm fine, Mom." 

"Well, Uncle Bruce is going to come in and check on you anyway,"  Pepper told him.  Peter didn't mind that much, so he didn't object.  It had been a while since he'd seen his Uncle Bruce anyway.  It was as good a time as ever for a family reunion, he supposed. 

"Yes, I am,"  Bruce said, shutting Peter's bedroom door behind him.  He smiled at Peter who grinned widely back at him.  "How are you doing, Peter?" 

"I've been better,"  Peter replied.  Bruce rolled his eyes and pulled his stethoscope from around his neck.  "How are you and Uncle Hulk?" 

"We're both doing well, thank you,"  Bruce said.  Peter had met the Hulk when he was only seven years old and had never been afraid of the giant green man.  He'd immediately taken to calling him 'Uncle' like all the other Avengers.  No one ever stopped him and Hulk was a good friend to have when the world came crashing down. 

After Bruce had tested Peter's breathing and given him some pain pills, he returned his stethoscope to its perch around his neck and smiled down at his friend and his family. 

"Peter will be perfectly fine,"  Bruce informed them all.  Peter grinned just as wide as before and Tony and Pepper thanked him.  "No problem.  However, the others would like to come in and say hello if that's okay." 

"Yeah!"  Peter cheered.  Bruce looked at Tony who shrugged and sat back in his chair, putting an arm around Pepper's shoulders. 

"I'll let them in,"  Bruce said.  He walked to Peter's door and opened it, allowing the entire team of Avengers to come pouring in.  They didn't hesitate in rushing to Peter's side and asking him how he was.  Peter only answered the question once, rather than several times for each person who asked.  Bruce just smiled and left, going to write down the check-up results while Peter was hounded by the worried Avengers. 


	18. Epilogue

When Peter finally did return to school, it was with Natasha as his new homeroom teacher.  Somehow his dad had managed to spin things just right (he was fairly certain it had a lot to do with bribery and reminding Principal Jones he'd hired a criminal, so anyone Tony Stark hired was an upgrade if anything) and Natasha was undercover as his new homeroom teacher.  Seeing as she and Clint were the only Avengers people didn't have clear faces for or even a name, it made the most sense to have one of them go undercover.  Natasha had volunteered before Clint could even process the offer. 

"Why do we have to come so early?"  Peter asked, walking beside Natasha into the school building.  It was 7:30am and they were already at school.  Peter wasn't sure he liked the idea of coming so early even if it did mean Natasha would be with him all day. 

"Because I have to come and do teacher set up stuff,"  Natasha reminded him.  Peter frowned but didn't say anything else.  They walked to Principal Jones's office where Peter waited outside the front desk and Natasha went in to talk to Jones.  Peter watched as Principal Jones handed her a couple of keys then she came back out. 

"What are the keys for?"  Peter asked. 

"My new classroom and the front doors,"  she answered.  Peter nodded and waited for her to unlock the homeroom door.  As soon as they were inside the room, Natasha flicked on the lights and headed to her desk. 

The entire team had come in over the weekend—with Principal Jones's permission and covers so the Avengers weren't coming—and helped redecorate the room.  It hadn't changed too much, but Natasha had added a few posters and burned everything of Mr. Patrick's.  Peter could still taste the s'mores he'd had over the fire with his old homeroom teacher's things keeping it alight.  Much to Peter's delight, Natasha had put in speakers at the front of the room with the promise that she would play music while the class worked on assignments. 

"I can still call you Aunt Nat, right?"  Peter asked.  Natasha nodded. 

"My cover name is Natalie Workman,"  she answered.  Peter grinned.  They had agreed that it could be known Natasha was Peter's aunt, but she couldn't be 'Aunt Natasha' at school.  Even if people didn't know the name of the Black Widow, she refused to go undercover without a fake name.  It was just a precaution. 

While they waited for the school day to begin, Peter worked on the few days of back work he had from missing school and Natasha printed off papers for the assignments she was giving.  The classroom filled up slowly at first and Natasha was able to introduce herself to each student and learn a little bit about them before the next kid arrived.  Eventually, though, the buses came in and a whole group of kids walked into the classroom, laughing and talking loudly.  They didn't notice their new teacher until they'd taken their seats at the bell.  Ned recognised Natasha for who she really was as he'd been over to spend the night at Peter's house a couple times; Natasha had made sure he wouldn't ruin her cover and he swore up and down he wouldn't. 

"Welcome back, everyone,"  Natasha said, drawing everyone's attention to the front of the room after the bell.  "I'm Mrs. Workman and will be replacing Mr. Patrick."  A hand shot up and she nodded at the person. 

"Why are you replacing Mr. Patrick?"  a girl asked.  Natasha didn't know how much Principal Jones had told the parents or students, so she vaguely explained Mr. Patrick had to leave the state for a family emergency and wouldn't be returning, so she had been hired in his place.  Another hand shot up and she allowed the student to speak. 

"So you're a permanent teacher now?"  a boy asked.  Natasha nodded and he looked at his friend to whisper something.  She decided to move on and began announcements, starting with what lunch was in the cafeteria. 

* * *

At the end of the day, Peter met up with Natasha in her classroom.  A group of seventh graders poured out of the room, so he had to wait a little bit before he could go in.  There were still three lingering students, asking Natasha something related to the homework, so Peter waited near the back for her.  After she'd answered their questions, they thanked her and left the room.  Natasha smiled at Peter and cleaned up her desk. 

"I'll be ready to go in fifteen minutes,"  she told him.  Peter nodded, so he found a desk and sat down to begin on his homework.  He didn't have much, but he was well occupied until Natasha was ready to go.  He quickly finished the last two problems on his math assignment then packed up his books. 

"Can we get ice cream on the way home?"  Peter asked.  Natasha shrugged, not seeing the problem. 

"As long as you tell me exactly what you thought of me as a teacher and gives me tips for how to do better,"  she agreed.  Peter smiled. 

"But you're the best teacher ever,"  he told her.  Natasha rolled her eyes and threw her arm around his shoulders. 

"I'm sure you could find something I could do better,"  she replied.  Peter turned red and looked at his shoes. 

"Well, you could just not give us homework,"  he suggested.  Natasha gave him a look. 

"Tips for things I can actually do and still be a teacher,"  she said.  He grinned innocently and climbed in the car so they could get ice cream on the way back home. 


End file.
